Motorola CEO Ed Zander promised that the long-awaited iTunes phone will debut in the near future.

Although Zander may be excited about the prospect,
rumour has it mobile network operators are shunning the handset in droves.

The company's first quarter results saw Motorola shipping 28.7 million
handsets worldwide ? a year-on-year increase of 13 per cent. Its market share
also grew, now standing at just over 17 per cent.

Zander confirmed the iTunes phone "will be coming out in the next few
months". The device was first demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics trade
show earlier this year, but despite repeated promises a concrete commercial
launch date has not been forthcoming.

A Motorola spokeswoman confirmed that the phone will be available in the
first half of this year.

The delays in the launch of the phone have prompted rumours that major US
carriers, including Verizon and Sprint, are unwilling to stock the phones in
an effort to drive users onto their proprietary phone download services and
bolster revenue.